Hopes of extending life of Holyhead homeless shelter

Jun 17 2009

CHARITY, Digartref Ynys Môn, is hoping to extend the life of their current homeless night shelter, in Holyhead

Digartref is hoping to keep the current shelter open while they search for a new site in the town to have a permanent night shelter.

The current shelter, at the old scout hut at Garreg Domas behind the Britannia pub was due to close at the end of May but is now being kept open on a week by week basis.

Digartref general manager, Andrew Reid, said: "Our aim is to try an maintain the night shelter for a short time while we look for a permanent site and a more appropriate building.

"The application is for another five months, we do have five or six people staying each night and our capacity is for eight people.

"Everything is subject to us finding the funding to continue."

Night shelter coordinator, Di Marshall said: "I think what we have proved over the last few months is that there is a definite need for a night shelter.

"We have been full much of the time and on average our figures show that we have 6.4 men staying here every night.

"We’ve been keeping our own statistics, 68% of the men have local connections to Anglesey, 18% are from the rest of North Wales and 14% from Liverpool, Manchester or outside Wales.

"Everyone is vetted at the Lighthouse drop-in centre on Williams Street and if they don’t get a ticket they are not let in."

"Our staff who do the vetting actually walk up from the Lighthouse with them here.

"They can’t drink or smoke in the shelter and are here from 9pm to 9am."

When the old scout hut was first proposed to be used as a night shelter last year locals campaigned against the proposals which were eventually passed by the planning authority in January.

One of the objectors who spoke against the plans at planning meetings was local county councillor, Cliff Everett, he said: "Since the place was opened I’ve received no complaints.

"It is obviously a well managed and controlled site and I have to speak as I find. So I would not be objecting to this extension."